From viruses to neurons: Three ÖAW DOC Fellowships at the Perutz
The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) has awarded prestigious DOC Fellowships to three PhD students at the Perutz. The highly competitive fellowship supports outstanding doctoral researchers in basic research. Leon Schmidt (Hein lab) will study how ubiquitous anelloviruses interact with human cells, Moritz Becker (Leeb lab) will investigate the molecular mechanisms that guide early human cell fate decisions, and Carla Simon (Slade lab) will uncover how precise transcription termination shapes neuronal development. Together, their projects address fundamental questions in virology, stem cell biology, and gene regulation.
ER’s multi-trick pony
Cells constantly adjust protein production to match folding capacity in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to ensure correct folding of secreted and transmembrane proteins. This is especially crucial when cellular stress impairs protein folding. In a new study from the Karagöz lab, published in Genes & Development, first author Aleksandra Anisimova uncovers how the RNA-binding protein IGF2BP3 helps control this balance during ER stress. The study reveals a flexible regulatory system that balances mRNA decay with transcriptional control to fine-tune the unfolded protein response (UPR), highlighting a previously underappreciated layer of post-transcriptional control that determines whether cells adapt or fail under stress.
FWF funds Dea Slade’s neuronal development research
Perutz group leader Dea Slade has been awarded a Principal Investigator grant from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) to investigate how mutations in the gene PHF3 disrupt human brain development. The project will use cutting-edge stem cell and organoid models to uncover how disease-associated PHF3 mutations alter gene regulation during the formation of neurons. By revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying these defects, the research aims to improve our understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders such as microcephaly and autism spectrum disorder.
Felix Haslhofer named Max Perutz PhD fellow 2026
Since 2021, the Max Perutz PhD Fellowship supports outstanding young researchers pursuing ambitious and innovative doctoral projects at the institute. This year’s fellowship was awarded to Felix Haslhofer from the Bücker lab. Felix is investigating how enhancers communicate with genes across large genomic distances. Combining synthetic genomics, high-throughput screening, and deep learning, his work aims to uncover fundamental principles of gene regulation with implications for understanding complex diseases and genetic variation.
How to build an exosome
Inside cells, large multi-subunit machines carry out many essential processes, yet the principles governing their assembly are often poorly understood. Postdoc Tsimafei Navalayeu from the Ameres lab at the Perutz has now mapped the assembly of the RNA exosome in mammalian cells using an inducible CRISPR-based system. The work, published in EMBO Journal, reveals an intricate, stepwise assembly pathway of the multi-subunit exosome, and the quality control mechanisms that regulate its biogenesis.
E-STEEM Fellowship for Émeline Laborie to study centrosome biophysics
Postdoctoral researcher Émeline Laborie has been awarded an E-STEEM Fellowship from the University of Vienna and will join the Dammermann lab in September. The E-STEEM program provides support for four years and promotes outstanding women in STEM and Economics. Émeline will use computational biophysics to investigate how centrosomes and microtubules coordinate the self-organization of the spindle apparatus during cell division. Her work aims to uncover the physical principles underlying centrosome and spindle self-organization.
Net zero – using a basket to control enzymatic activity
Faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis depends on the spatial and temporal coordination of dramatic changes in cellular and subcellular architecture. In a new study published in Cell Reports, first author Rahel Wettstein from the Matos lab has uncovered an unexpected role for the nuclear pore complex in controlling crossover formation through regulation of SUMOylation dynamics in yeast. By linking nuclear pore basket components to the localization of a SUMO protease, the work reveals how nuclear architecture shapes meiotic recombination outcomes.
Meet MutLγ: a rising crossover star
Meiotic crossing-over is a fundamental process in sexual reproduction that reshuffles genetic information between homologous chromosomes and ensures their correct segregation. In a new study published in Nature Communications, first author Lucija Orlić from the Matos lab dissects how different DNA repair enzymes resolve recombination intermediates and uncover a previously unknown structural role for the enzyme Top3 that is essential for their resolution into crossovers.
FWF grant for Bojan Žagrović to explore hidden potential of frameshift mutations
Perutz group leader Bojan Žagrović has been awarded funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for a three-year project investigating how frameshift mutations reshape proteins and drive evolution. Frameshift mutations alter the genetic reading frame, dramatically changing the resulting protein sequence. Consequently, they are generally considered to be deleterious. Bojan and his collaborators aim to challenge this long-standing view by combining novel computational approaches, AI-based protein structure prediction, and experimental validation to study whether some frameshifted proteins can still adopt functional, native-like structures.
The more, the merrier? How extra chromosomes help cancer cells survive
Cancer cells often turn an abnormal number of chromosomes – aneuploidy – from a harmful condition into a survival advantage. By studying engineered aneuploid yeast strains, the Campbell lab shows in a study published in EMBO Reports that drug resistance does not arise from single genes, but from subtle, combined changes across many genes at once. These findings may help to explain why aneuploidy is so common in cancer and influence how scientists search for therapeutic targets.
Condensates and gene control: Theresia Brennecke awarded BIF PhD Fellowship
Theresia Brennecke from the Köhler lab has been awarded a prestigious PhD Fellowship from the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) to study how biomolecular condensates influence gene transcription in cells. The highly competitive BIF fellowship – where applicants compete with the top 5% of students worldwide – provides up to 3.5 years of funding and access to an international network of fellows, with fewer than 10% of candidates selected following a rigorous evaluation by external experts and the BIF board.
Traffic control at the molecular scale
During protein synthesis, ribosomes stall when they encounter damaged mRNA or when cells are depleted of essential factors. Unresolved, stalled ribosomes have the potential to create harmful traffic jams inside the cell. A new study from the Karagöz lab, published in EMBO Journal, reveals how ribosome-associated quality control and UFMylation machinery cooperate to resolve stalled ribosomes at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). By uncovering the mechanistic interplay between these pathways, the researchers explain how cells overcome the physical constraints imposed by membrane-associated translation. Their findings provide an important link between ER proteostasis and ribosome rescue mechanisms.
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